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LA-ab and LSU

I'm headed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to have a look at a house for a feature in the October issue. While I'm there I'm quite excited to be stopping in to chat with a class of graduate students in architecture at Louisiana State University. Architect and educator Jim Sullivan was kind enough to invite me to meet his students, and in the process I got a look at some of his own work at his firm LA-ab. He told me that only after getting tenure at LSU, where he also heads up the Research Office for Novice Design Education, was he able to devote more time to his private practice, but he's got a couple projects under construction now.

Here's the plan for the Marquis Loft, which Sullivan designed for a restaurateur to double as a residence and event space.

The Marquis Loft is under construction now, but should be complete in the next month.

The long, narrow space is about a 2,000-square-foot renovation in Lafayette, Louisiana.

This rendering for the Buchanan Lofts, which just began construction, shows how the former warehouse will be converted into residential space.

Sullivan describes the short-term rental lofts as "somewhere between an apartment and a hotel room in length of stay."

There are eight units altogether, with commercial space on the ground floor.

This rendering of the Reagan house in Lafayette, Louisiana, shows the thoughtful renovation of a mid-century modern home.

The Reagan house has yet to start construction, though Sullivan estimates it will be complete by the end of the year.

In addition to renovating the space, Sullivan is adding onto it as well. The house itself sits in a wooded area with the Vermilion River nearby.

Sullivan's LA-meets-LA house is the only one that LA-ab has fully completed. Here we see the bathroom; transparent plastic furniture give a bit of contempo glitz.

The 4,000-square-foot home was designed for a resident who didn't want to fully give up her Los Angeles lifestyle, despite moving to Louisiana.

The living room certainly has a distinct whiff of LA glam.

I'm more fond of the kitchen, which shows quite a bit of restraint, letting the silverware on the wall do most of the aesthetic heavy lifting.